Friday, May 25, 2012

How familiar were you with Greek myths and folklore before writing the Goddess Test series? Was a lot of research required?

+ I first fell in love with Greek mythology when I was a kid learning how to read, and my infatuation only grew from there. I’ve studied various kinds of mythology for years, sometimes for class and always for fun, but even then I put a great deal of research into the Goddess Test series. Mostly as a refresher to make sure I was getting my facts right, but I also researched the various myths looking for ways to tie the plots and characters together in unexpected ways.

Was Goddess Interrupted any easier or harder to write than the first book in the series, The Goddess Test?

+ It was both easier and harder, in a strange way. I rewrote The Goddess Test multiple times, and I’ve never edited a book more heavily in my life. Goddess Interrupted did require some editing, of course, but it was much easier.

However, the pressure to deliver a sequel worthy of the series made the writing process for Goddess Interrupted more difficult than I’d anticipated. There’s something called the “sophomore slump”, where sequels or second books generally don’t quite match up to the second, and I wanted to avoid that at all cost. So that added a lot of stress, but in the end, I was very happy with the results.

You give the gods and goddesses in the series “ordinary names” – Zeus is named Walter, Aphrodite goes by Ava, Hermes is named James. Why did you do that and do the more contemporary names have any significance?

+ This was something I went back and forth on multiple times. Initially the characters Kate encounters weren’t council members at all – I changed that very, very quickly though. By the second draft, I had a place for each of the Olympians, and I did some heavy rewriting to replace my first draft characters with the gods. I wanted to find a way to keep their names the same, but since they’re supposed to live among us in secret in the modern world, it didn’t really make sense. How many men named Zeus do you know, or women called Aphrodite? On top of that, keeping the council’s identities secret was incredibly important to the plot. So eventually I decided they would have changed their names when Western civilization stopped worshipping them as gods, allowing them to live freely among us.

I did choose each name for what it means, some more than others – Walter, for instance, means “army leader”, while James means “supplanter”. The exception is Calliope, which in the story was chosen by her counterpart for its Greek roots. The reason the gods changed their names – and why Artemis didn’t wind up with the name Diana – is explained throughout the series, but you get to actually see this happen in The Goddess Legacy (July 31).

Goddess Interrupted begins with the main character Kate Winters adjusting to her new life as an immortal. Given Kate’s innate strength and stubbornness, was it difficult to switch gears to portray her as a bit more vulnerable and unsure of herself in her new role as goddess AND wife?

+ Not so much, to be honest – her progression felt natural to me. While Kate is very tough in certain ways, she’s extremely vulnerable as well. She’s emotionally dependent on the people around her (her mother in the first book, Henry in the second), and that in and of itself carves the path she takes in the sequel. She’s spent six months with Henry, falling in love with him and forming a relationship she thinks is going to last for eternity. But Henry is battling his own demons and isn’t ready to be the person she needs him to be, and because Kate is so stubborn, she has a hard time coming to terms with that. In the sequel, Kate really is her own worst enemy emotionally – her entire world has changed, after all, and that’s a lot for anyone to take – but it’s all part of her development into a goddess and queen.

Kate finds herself trying to work through her rather complicated relationship with James, as well as her relationship with her new husband, Henry (Hades). Neither seems to be black and white, but rather varying shades of gray. Were any of Kate’s feelings or situations based on any relationship struggles you’ve been through?

+ Not personally, no, but I did try to make Kate’s relationships with the people in her life as realistic as possible. She isn’t perfect, and neither are they, and that’s something they all have to work through at varying points in the series. None of the relationships in the books are based off of specific experiences I’ve been through though.

What is your favorite part of the writing process? Least favorite?

+ Outlining is by far my favorite part of the process. I love the idea stage, where anything’s possible, and it’s such a shiny place. All of that comes crashing down when I write the first draft though, which is the hardest part for me. I tend to get mentally exhausted about two thirds to three quarters of the way into the manuscript, and it’s always a struggle for me to push through it, especially if I’m on a deadline. And inevitably there are a ton of problems I didn’t notice in the outline stage that have to be fixed for the story to work. I’m a perfectionist, so in order for me to continue writing the story, everything I’ve already written has to make sense.

Do you have a favorite quote or line from a poem or book?

+ I love so many quotes that I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite.

How did you get your first publishing deal and how did that feel?

+ My agent, Rosemary Stimola, sent the manuscript out to various publishers, and after a long submission process, Harlequin TEEN offered to publish it! I was stunned at first, but that quickly gave way to giddiness. It was an incredible feeling to know I’d be published, and to this day, I still can’t quite believe it.

When is the next book in the series due out? Any hints on what will happen in book 3?

+ Goddess Interrupted, the sequel to The Goddess Test, came out in late March. The next book in the series, The Goddess Legacy, will be out July 31. It’s a collection of five novellas told in the perspectives of Calliope, Ava, Persephone, James, and Henry, and together they form one story.

The third book in the series, The Goddess Inheritance, is currently scheduled to be released in March 2013. Unfortunately I can’t say too much about it, but the challenges that Kate will face are pretty clear by the end of the sequel!

After the huge success of The Goddess Test, Goddess Interrupted is on many, many TBR lists for this summer. What’s on your TBR list?

+ I’m so excited for a slew of books coming out – The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, Grave Mercy, The Selection, The Serpent’s Shadow, Philippa Gregory’s YA novel, and a ton of others. I never have as much time to read as I want, but I’m definitely making time for all of those and more!

Yearbook Superlatives! If you went to high school with the Greek gods and goddesses, who would you vote for?

Such a great series - I'm really intrigued to find out how Aimee continues the story! This was a really compelleing first book for both the male and female readers at my school - they were drawn into the story pretty much immediately.

Such a great series - I'm really intrigued to find out how Aimee continues the story! This was a really compelleing first book for both the male and female readers at my school - they were drawn into the story pretty much immediately.

Great interview!! I love this series :) I love the yearbook superlatives question, that is so perfect!!!! I also like how Aimee picked the contemporary names based on their meaning and how well each one fits the gods and goddesses. Great job!!

I can understand why underlining is your favorite part of the writing process. It's the part where you don't have to limit yourself. To me it's the most creative. When you start writing, you start having to keep to the outline. You no longer face endless possibilities.

Pfft I know TONS of people called Aphrodite! Lol. I have yet to read this series but I do have book 1 sitting on my shelf waiting for me. Poor soul >.< I'm always fascinated by greek myth since I read Percy Jackson a while back so I think I'll really like this one. I loved the Superlatives! :D

Great post Evie! Thanks for your lovely comments on the blog! I've been keeping up in my Google Reader but I haven't had a chance to come comment in a bit. I'm finally getting caught up on my reading though so I can come leave my unsolicited opinions more often :D

I can't wait to read this series! I love the mythology aspect of it. I would comment on your reviews for the extra points but I don't read reviews of books I plan on reading, bummer! But thanks for the opportunity anyway! :)

First of all, let me say this... I absolutely LOVED "The Goddess Test" by Aimee Carter, and am SO excited about reading "The Goddess Interrupted." That being said, what a fantastic interview. I love it when the questions are so uniquely fitting to the book, and not some generic questions that ask about favorites foods and colors - a job well done, Evie.

Also, I love that author Aimee Carter made sure that she didn't name the Olympians anything similar to their original identities - I think that makes them more palatable, more relatable, more "human", per se...normal people. Also, one of the reasons I love Kate and her character is because she is not a one dimensional character, and that the dynamics of her relationship with the surrounding characters are very complex, not very cut and dry...I think this gives the narrative a certain believability.

The Yearbook Superlatives are super funny. The funniest/ironic thing is, my name is Hira...and Aimee Carter deems "Hera" as most likely to succeed, which is what I was termed my senior year, in the yearbook! lol :P Lastly, thank you for hosting a giveaway for this AWESOME book, which I cannot wait to read.

Hi! Thanks for this chance! I read The Goddess Test in last February and I really enjoyed this book!!! I love that the Gods and Goddess have contemporary names! It goes with are time and I didn't realize until the end that these characters were the Gods/Goddess! Great interview! Looking forward to read the sequel!

I haven't picked up on this series yet but I've seen it everywhere and so it may need to be one of my next reads! Especially since there are already three books in the series! Always love your interviews Evie!

Greek Mythology is one of my absolute favorite things. It's beautiful and tragic and stunning and amazing and i don't think i could ever get sick of a YA Greek Myth retelling! I did like the first book in the series, just not as much as i thought i would, so i really wanna give the second book a go. See if it picked up some for me! Also, i want more James cuz he was a cutie in #1! :P

I'm currently reading the Goddess Test and it is amazing! Interesting to see why she chose to give the gods contemporary names- really shows how thorough she is :) Great interview and thanks for the amazing giveaway!